Multifunctional motorized box and landing pad for automatic drone package delivery

ABSTRACT

The invention consists of an actuated box and navigation aid for automatic delivery by unmanned vehicles (UAV) or drones. It also incorporates delivery information via the web linking orders, enclosure status, package specific drone homing signals, delivery confirmations and more. This system incorporates a novel and effective means for providing a standardized and predicable area for safe landing during delivery by functionalized drones. It also secures the package from theft, vandalism, animals and the weather and provides features necessary for air-traffic management.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/179,998, filed Jun. 11, 2016, and entitled “MULTIFUNCTIONAL MOTORIZED BOX AND LANDING PAD FOR AUTOMATIC DRONE PACKAGE DELIVERY,” which is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present document relates to systems providing a standardized landing zone for an autonomous and/or remotely piloted unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV) as well as securing the delivered package in an efficient means. It is also suggested a method for necessary regulation of drone traffic by managing emergency situations (unexpected low battery, requests to land due to mechanical problems or bad weather) and monitoring the current air traffic.

BACKGROUND

The economic sector of package delivery has undergone steady growth since the birth of online commerce. People increasingly rely on punctual delivery for urgent orders which leads to increased ground delivery. In cities where the majority of the world population now lives, there is the prospect of a new delivery means. Given that high population density in these urban areas leads to shorter delivery distance: the use of drone delivery is desirable and makes sense economically. The paradigm applies to consumer goods ranging from daily necessities, take-out and medical supplies for example.

It will be also desirable that the goods to be delivered are as near as possible to the customer such that the drone is not blocked from ground level traffic constraints and because the drone has limited cargo lift capability when compared to ground truck delivery. The drone is thus better suited for point-to-point delivery of small packages.

To achieve this, the drone delivery operation must comply with the following requirements:

-   -   A landing pad that is predicable in size and clear from any         object     -   Provides a means for the drone to remain above ground which is         less prone to accidents with animals, children, people and other         moving objects.     -   The landing area is not buried in snow, sand, ash or other         debris that can be blown by winds.     -   Allows operation in areas with frost, snow or rain and high         temperature.     -   Provides theft security and neighbor discretion about a package         arrival when used in private home settings.     -   Provides a way of keeping the delivered product in a controlled         environment, especially when food, medicine or perishable goods         are delivered. The system protects the received package from the         elements and optionally controls the enclosure's internal         temperature, the holding conditions being compatible with the         order's optimal storage properties.     -   All this is autonomous in operation.     -   Provides electrical power to the drone, allowing it to charge         its on-board batteries and thus increase its accessible range.

In a broader view, allowing simultaneously multiple drone flights in an area that requires some control features needed by aviation control agencies:

-   -   Provide a safe landing zone with possible recharge in situations         when the drone cannot maintain the established flight plan.     -   Allow a means of managing and monitoring air traffic to avoid         collisions and ensuring that air traffic safety rules are         followed.     -   Detecting the use of unidentified/unlicensed drones and having a         means of tracking down the operator by law enforcement.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with a first general aspect, there is provided a multifunctional motorized box and landing pad for automatic drone package delivery using an unmanned aircraft vehicle. The multifunctional motorized box and landing pad comprises a box housing defining an enclosure and having a top edge; retractable flaps configurable between a closed configuration and an open configuration; and a motorized mechanism configured to move the retractable flaps between the closed configuration and the open configuration. Each one of the retractable flaps has a landing pad surface and includes an inner flap section and an outer flap section. The retractable flaps are connected to the box housing at the top edge thereof. In the closed configuration, the outer flap sections of the retractable flaps define a protective cover closing the enclosure of the box housing and the inner flap sections of the retractable flaps extend in the enclosure, with the landing pad surface of each one of the retractable flaps facing inwardly towards the enclosure. In the open configuration, the inner flap sections and the outer flap sections of the retractable flaps together define a landing pad for the unmanned aircraft vehicle, with the inner flap sections closing the enclosure of the box housing and the landing pad surface of each one of the retractable flaps facing outwardly for receiving the unmanned aircraft vehicle thereon.

In accordance with another general aspect, there is provided a multifunctional motorized box and landing pad for automatic drone package delivery using an unmanned aircraft vehicle. The multifunctional motorized box and landing pad comprises: a box housing defining an enclosure and having a top edge; retractable flaps including an inner flap section and an outer flap section and connected to the box housing at the top edge thereof, the retractable flaps being configurable between a closed configuration and an open configuration; a motorized mechanism configured to move the retractable flaps between the closed configuration and the open configuration; and a final destination honing system. In the closed configuration, the outer flap sections of the retractable flaps define a protective cover closing the enclosure of the box housing and the inner flap sections of the retractable flaps extend in the enclosure. In the open configuration, the inner flap sections and the outer flap sections of the retractable flaps extend substantially along a common plane to define a landing pad for the unmanned aircraft vehicle, with the inner flap sections closing the enclosure of the box housing. The final destination honing system is in communication with the unmanned aircraft vehicle and is configured to assist in the landing and approach of the unmanned aircraft vehicle towards the multifunctional motorized box and landing pad.

In an embodiment, the final indication honing system comprises luminous indicators providing optical guides for the unmanned aircraft vehicle, the luminous indicators producing pulsed light representative of a binary signal.

In accordance with another general aspect, there is also provided a multifunctional motorized box and landing pad for automatic drone package delivery using an unmanned aircraft vehicle. The multifunctional motorized box and landing pad comprises: a box housing defining an enclosure and having a top edge; retractable flaps connected to the box housing at the top edge thereof, the retractable flaps being configurable between a closed configuration and an open configuration; a motorized mechanism configured to move the retractable flaps between the closed configuration and the open configuration; and a mechanism operative to remove at least one of snow and dust from a surface of the retractable flaps. In the closed configuration, the retractable flaps define a protective cover closing the enclosure of the box housing. In the open configuration, the retractable flaps define a landing pad for the unmanned aircraft vehicle.

In accordance with another general aspect, there is further provided a multifunctional motorized box and landing pad for automatic drone package delivery using an unmanned aircraft vehicle. The multifunctional motorized box and landing pad is in data communication with a remote processing unit and comprises a RF spectrum analyzer scanning a surrounding of the multifunctional motorized box and landing pad to monitor a corresponding airspace. The RF spectrum analyzer identifies RF identifiers of identified unmanned aircraft vehicle and defines a RF power spectrum of the corresponding airspace. The RF identifiers of identified unmanned aircraft vehicle and the RF power spectrum of the corresponding airspace define RF spectrum data that can be used to identify unauthorized unmanned aircraft vehicles. The multifunctional motorized box and landing also comprises a data communication system at least periodically transmitting the RF spectrum data to the remote processing unit over a network.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects, advantages and features will become more apparent upon reading the following non-restrictive description of embodiments thereof, given for the purpose of exemplification only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the multifunctional motorized box and landing pad, in accordance with an embodiment and where retractable flaps of the motorized box and landing pad are configured in a closed configuration, a box housing of the multifunctional motorized box and landing pad being shown in transparency.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the multifunctional motorized box and landing pad of FIG. 1, where the retractable flaps of the motorized box and landing pad are configured in an open configuration.

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a functional system overview of the multifunctional motorized box and landing pad, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a state diagram of the multifunctional motorized box and landing pad, in accordance with an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, the same numerical references refer to similar elements. The embodiments, geometrical configurations, materials mentioned and/or dimensions shown in the figures or described in the present description are embodiments only, given solely for exemplification purposes.

Moreover, although the embodiments of the multifunctional motorized box and landing pad and corresponding parts thereof consist of certain geometrical configurations as explained and illustrated herein, not all of these components and geometries are essential and thus should not be taken in their restrictive sense. It is to be understood, as also apparent to a person skilled in the art, that other suitable components and cooperation thereinbetween, as well as other suitable geometrical configurations, may be used for the multifunctional motorized box and landing pad, as will be briefly explained herein and as can be easily inferred herefrom by a person skilled in the art. Moreover, it will be appreciated that positional descriptions such as “above”, “below”, “left”, “right” and the like should, unless otherwise indicated, be taken in the context of the figures and should not be considered limiting.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, there is shown the multifunctional motorized box and landing pad (or landing box) (10) in accordance with an embodiment (see FIGS. 1 and 2) and a functional system overview of the system including the multifunctional motorized box and landing pad (10) (see FIG. 3). The multifunctional motorized box and landing pad (10) comprises a box housing (12) defining an enclosure (14) and having a top edge (16). The multifunctional motorized box and landing pad (10) also includes retractable flaps (110) configurable between a closed configuration (See FIG. 1) and an open configuration (see FIG. 2). As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, each retractable flap (110) includes an inner flap section (110 b) and an outer flap section (110 c). In the closed configuration (see FIG. 1), the outer flap sections (110 c) of the retractable flaps (110) define a protective cover closing the enclosure (14) of the box housing (12) and the inner flap sections (110 b) of the retractable flaps (110) extend in the enclosure (14). In the open configuration (see FIG. 2), the inner flap sections (110 b) and the outer flap sections (110 c) of the retractable flaps together define a landing pad (20), with the inner flap sections (110 b) closing the enclosure (14) of the box housing (12). In other words, in the open configuration (see FIG. 2), the inner flap sections (110 b) and the outer flap sections (110 c) of the retractable flaps (110) extend substantially along a common plane to define a landing pad (20) for the unmanned aircraft vehicle, with the inner flap sections (110 b) closing the enclosure (14) of the box housing (12).

Each one of the retractable flaps (110) has a landing pad surface (110 a) and is pivotally connected to the box housing (12) at the top edge (16) thereof. In the closed configuration, the retractable flaps (110) define a protective cover (18) closing the enclosure (14) of the box housing (12), with the landing pad surface (110 a) of each one of the retractable flaps (110) facing inwardly towards the enclosure (14). In the open configuration, the retractable flaps (110) define a landing pad (20) for the unmanned aircraft vehicle (or drone) (107), with the landing pad surface (110 a) of each one of the retractable flaps (110) facing outwardly for receiving the drone (107) thereon. In an embodiment, the box (10) includes a weatherproof gasket (26) extending along the edges of the retractable flaps (110).

Prior to usage, the customer (100) first registers his system with delivery companies (104). The customer (100) can register his landing box (10) with its ID along and its GPS coordinates acquired via a cellular phone, a tablet or a computer (101) or via the embedded GPS receiver if equipped (106 & 122). The customer (100) can then connect the box (10) to a standard power source. The box (10) has posts for yard installation (see FIG. 1) and anchors for balcony use. Standardized clearances must be respected. The box (10) may itself communicate to the delivery company this information when enabled for internet access through the user's private wireless communication (WiFi, cellular or other) (105, 126 & 127).

The box (10) has retractable flaps (110) that serve a dual function of protective cover when closed (see FIG. 1) and a landing pad when opened (see FIG. 2). To achieve this, when closed, some parts of the flaps (i.e. the landing pad surface (110 a)) face downward in the box (10). Many embodiments of the flaps (110) are possible. Depending on the mechanical flap configuration, an optional, extensible material can be used between flaps (110) to provide a continuous sealed area when deployed (i.e. when configured in the open configuration).

A motorized mechanism (111 & 118) is responsible of moving the flaps (110) from open to close state (or configuration) and is commanded by an embedded electronics or computer (to move the flaps (110) from the closed state of FIG. 1 to the open state of FIG. 2). Such mechanisms can be either centralized in the box (10) or can be independent for each flap.

In an embodiment, each flap (110), on the landing pad surface (110 a), has one or many non-corrosive electrodes (116) that link safely to an in-drone battery charger. The drone (107) could use non-corrosive conductive landing gear to make contact. The spacing and placement between electrode groups is constructed in a manner that allows at least two different polarity/phase contacts for any drone landing position for a standardized landing pad distance. Electrodes can have many forms, dots, line mesh or continuous surfaces and may be spring loaded. Charge can be enabled upon drone request (‘CHARGES’). Alternately charging may be via an inductive link.

The current limited source (128) can be DC or AC with two or more electrical phases for allowing in-drone charging. This allows charging even if only two electrodes make contact (116). If more than two make contact, the greater the current may be delivered by unit of time. The current limiter (128) may also incorporate a ground fault detector to prevent electric shock to users or bystanders.

Optionally, each landing gear of the drone (107) may have a coil, a magnet or a ferromagnetic material. In an embodiment, a coil or magnet is placed in various locations in the flap for allowing firm contact while charging and magnetically ties (117) the drone to the landing pad to prevent a fall from high winds or an impact. The magnetic tie down system can also be used by the drone upon landing and started upon its command by a drone message (TIE). Alternately mechanically actuated anchoring may be used.

In an embodiment, lights (109) are placed on the edges of the flaps (110) and/or in the box (10) and serve as an optical guide for the drone (107) to make the final landing approach, thus providing a final destination honing system allowing efficient night time operation with the drone camera. The final destination honing system is in communication with the drone (107) and is configured to assist in the landing and approach of the drone 107 towards the box (10). In an embodiment, the luminous indicators (109) are positioned on the landing pad surface of the retractable flaps (110). Optionally, some of these luminous indicators (109) may be placed inside the box (10) and their covering parts on the flaps (110) shall then be made transparent allowing light to flow out.

In an embodiment, the lights (109) may be pulsed by the controller (121) in a binary manner which allows for the drone (107) via simple optical sensor or camera use to capture the box's ID and status. Color changes may also be utilized as to enhance guidance or as communications. Non-visible light (infrared or UV) may also be used instead or in addition to visible light.

In an embodiment, depending on the system communication and availability, the box is able to exchange communication messages either directly by a RF transceiver (119 & 124) or by a wireless communication & internet (105, 126 & 127).

Complimentarily, in an embodiment, the box may have a RF transceiver (119) that can transmit a message stack (124) continuously in addition to a periodical ID and status. The status is used to assist the drone's (107) navigation while searching for the box (10) and making a landing approach. The said transceiver (119) may be composed of directional antennas to further enhance navigation.

In an embodiment, the box may also be fitted with a multiplicity of wireless transceivers (127) (RF, WiFi, cellular or other) that can exchange messages with the drone using internet, cellular or another common global network.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, to allow a box open for landing, the box (10) receives the message key or token from the drone (107). This key may be encrypted. If the matching key is provided, then the flaps (110) open and the box status changes from ‘IDLE’ to ‘OPENING’ and the status is broadcasted to the drone (107). When opened completely, the box (10) then broadcasts a ‘READY’ state indicating to the drone (107) that the pad (20) is available for landing. For enhanced security, the computer might detect that all the flaps (110) are correctly deployed in the landing pad configuration by the means of one or many sensors.

In the case that the wrong key has been given to the box, a message is broadcasted along with visual light indications informing the drone (107) that the wrong box has been selected. This allows the drone (107) to move on to a different target.

Once the drone (107) has landed, the package (17) is deposited and the drone (107) clears the pad, the drone (107) sends a “Done” message to the box (10). The controller (121) then changes its status to ‘CLOSING’. When the flaps (110) close, the package (17) falls to the bottom or onto the previous package inside the box (10) (i.e. in the enclosure (14)). When completed, it broadcasts the delivery status in the ‘NOTIFY’ state, then returns to the ‘IDLE’ state.

Optionally and if authorized in user settings, the box (10) may accept an opening request and provide a recharge service to an in-transit drone that needs power, using the previous stated procedure but using a RF universal “Emergency” or “Charge message” pass key. Box ID & Drone ID & status are updated via the drone's communication link. Depending of the delivery system software configuration, the user may be credited for this event. Also, the user may deny this. In that situation, the box will reply a denied message following such a drone request.

The drone relays information to delivery company's central computing system (104) which informs both parties on the delivery status.

A level sensor detects (115) the current package level inside the box.

As previously mentioned, the box (10) can be linked to the internet via WiFi or other wireless means (105, 126 & 127). Access to the cloud allows real-time delivery tracking, system ID, status, box fill level and delivery tracking information. The system operates independently despite network connection being unavailable.

In an embodiment, a temperature sensor and optionally a humidity sensor (113) detects frost conditions and starts a periodic or programmed defrost heating cycle to prevent mechanical failure of the box opening system. In other words, the box includes a defrost mechanism performing a defrost cycle of at least a section of the box (10) upon detection of frost conditions by the temperature sensor and/or a humidity sensor (113).

In an embodiment, a temperature sensor (113) with a heating or cooling element (112) is also used to keep the interior of the box (10) (or the box enclosure 14) at a required temperature until the box is emptied.

In an embodiment, the required temperature and the control duration limit are sent by the delivery companies (104) via the drone (107) or the wireless communication (105) when delivering the package (17).

In an embodiment, the box has an electronic and/or mechanical key (114 & 123) allowing opening of the box (10) for package retrieval. All accesses made are logged by the device (125); more than one user may have access.

In an embodiment, mechanisms for the removal or melting of snow and dust (or snow/dust removal mechanism) (108) may be optionally integrated in the form of compressed air jet or heating elements integrated into the surface (i.e. into the retractable flaps to clean a surface thereof).

In an embodiment, the box may have a display for showing the user current package level and status.

In an embodiment, the RF drone's ID and RF power spectrum may serve to regulate air traffic in a centralized manner. The box could be equipped with wide band RF spectrum analyzer/scanner (119 & 120) that can report to aviation regulation agency (103) the RF power spectrum surrounding the box and also all standard drone ID and RF power data through a local WiFi or wireless connection (105, 126 & 127). The agency then has access to all boxes data from different spatial locations, thus allowing triangulations of both identified (by ID) and unidentified (by RF spectrum usage) drone signature and positions. This allows real-time monitoring and possible signature requests from an agency's command center. Also, real-time and historical positioning data that can be used by law enforcement in the case of an illegal usage of drones.

A more complete box behavior is depicted using the state diagrams in FIG. 4. The box is initially delivered in an ‘UNCONFIGURED’ state as it waits for data user (100) inputs from a computer, cellular or tablet (101) via the wireless link (105) (GPS position confirmation, customer ID, preferences, etc.). When the information is received and accepted by the delivery company (104), the box is set to an ‘IDLE’ using similar means. For all status broadcasts the box ID and status are sent via local RF (119), the same information along with the local RF spectrum are sent (126) via the wireless network (127) when available. In the ‘IDLE’ state only, the box listens for a drone message (Drone key) or a user input (User key). Upon reception of a valid key, it goes into the ‘OPENING’ state and checks flaps movement progression. When flaps are confirmed to be fully extended, the status progresses to ‘READY’ (if it was triggered by a drone) or to ‘USER OPEN’ (if triggered by a user key). In the ‘READY’ state, the drone is assisted by the box in its final approach by both lights (109) and by RF signals (119). Once it has landed, or prior to arrival, the drone may request the states TIE (117) then ‘CHARGE’ (116). The drone may leave the package and when it has taken off it sends a “Done” message which makes the box go into the ‘CLOSING’ state. If any error occurs during the ‘OPENING’ or ‘CLOSING’ states, the box retries then it enters a ‘FAILURE’ status if it cannot complete. The ‘NOTIFY’ state sends a message to both delivery company (104) and user (100) about the delivery and the box status. If a ‘FAILURE’ state occurs the box is set to the ‘UNAVAILABLE’ state rather than ‘IDLE’. The user can toggle between those two states (UNAVAILABLE′, ‘IDLE’) from a user key (114) or from a computer, cellular or tablet (101) using the wireless link (105). 

What is claimed is:
 1. A multifunctional box and landing pad network for monitoring an extended airspace, the multifunctional box and landing pad network comprising: a plurality of multifunctional box and landing pad configured for automatic package delivery using an unmanned aircraft vehicle, each one of the plurality of multifunctional box and landing pad being positioned in a specific spatial location and monitoring a corresponding local airspace, the sum of the local airspace of each one of the plurality of multifunctional box and landing pad defining the extended airspace, each one of the plurality of multifunctional box and landing pad comprising: a RF spectrum analyzer scanning a surrounding of the corresponding multifunctional box and landing pad to monitor a corresponding airspace thereof, the RF spectrum analyzer acquiring RF identifiers of identified unmanned aircraft vehicle and defining a RF power spectrum of the corresponding local airspace, the RF identifiers of identified unmanned aircraft vehicle and the RF power spectrum of the corresponding airspace defining RF spectrum data; and a data communication system at least periodically transmitting the RF spectrum data to a remote central processing unit over a network; wherein the remote central processing unit is configured to process the RF spectrum data from the plurality of multifunctional box and landing pad and to generate extended RF spectrum data of the extended airspace to perform air traffic regulation of the extended airspace in a centralized manner, based on the extended RF spectrum data.
 2. The multifunctional box and landing pad network of claim 1, wherein the RF spectrum analyzer of each one of the plurality of multifunctional box and landing pad comprises a wide band RF spectrum scanner.
 3. The multifunctional box and landing pad network of claim 1, wherein the RF spectrum analyzer of each one of the plurality of multifunctional box and landing pad is configured to acquire at least one of a standard ID of each identified unmanned aircraft vehicle and a RF power usage of each unidentified unmanned aircraft in the corresponding local airspace to define the RF spectrum data.
 4. The multifunctional box and landing pad network of claim 3, wherein the data communication system of each one of the plurality of multifunctional box and landing pad is configured to continuously transmit the RF spectrum data to the remote central processing unit over the network.
 5. The multifunctional box and landing pad network of claim 4, wherein the remote central processing unit is configured to acquire a signature of each identified unmanned aircraft vehicle and unidentified unmanned aircraft vehicle located in the extended airspace and determine the position of each unmanned aircraft vehicle by triangulation based on the extended RF spectrum data.
 6. An air traffic regulation system of an extended airspace for unmanned aircraft vehicle, the air traffic regulation system comprising: a central processing unit; and a plurality of remote multifunctional box and landing pad configured for automatic package delivery using an unmanned aircraft vehicle each positioned in a specific spatial location associated to a local airspace, each multifunctional box and landing pad being in data communication with the central processing unit over a network and comprising; a RF spectrum analyzer scanning the local airspace to acquire RF spectrum data including RF identifiers of identified unmanned aircraft vehicle and defining a RF power spectrum of the local airspace; and a data communication system at least periodically transmitting the RF spectrum data to the central processing unit over the network; wherein the remote central processing unit is configured to process the RF spectrum data from the plurality of remote multifunctional box and landing pad and to generate extended RF spectrum data of the extended airspace to perform air traffic regulation of the extended airspace in a centralized manner, based on the extended RF spectrum data.
 7. The air traffic regulation system of claim 6, wherein the RF spectrum analyzer of each one of the plurality of remote multifunctional box and landing pad comprises a wide band RF spectrum scanner.
 8. The air traffic regulation system of claim 6, wherein the RF spectrum analyzer of each one of the plurality of remote multifunctional box and landing pad is configured to acquire at least one of a standard ID of each identified unmanned aircraft vehicle and a RF power usage of each unidentified unmanned aircraft in the corresponding local airspace to define the RF spectrum data.
 9. The air traffic regulation system of claim 8, wherein the data communication system of each one of the plurality of remote multifunctional box and landing pad is configured to continuously transmit the RF spectrum data to the remote central processing unit over the network.
 10. The air traffic regulation system of claim 9, wherein the remote central processing unit is configured to acquire a signature of each identified unmanned aircraft vehicle and unidentified unmanned aircraft vehicle located in the extended airspace and determine the position of each unmanned aircraft vehicle by triangulation based on the extended RF spectrum data. 